A Chinese soldier, stands watch over the NPC in Beijing, China

A Chinese soldier, under a giant portrait of former helmsman Mao Zedong, stands watch over Tiananmen Square during the opening of the fifth session of the 12th National People's Congress (NPC) being held at the Great Hall of the People in Beijing on March 5, 2017. China's second-highest ranking politician Premier Li Keqiang criticized calls for Hong Kong's independence in a speech to the nation's parliament. Photo by Stephen Shaver/UPI